What you need to make your own documentary

This article was taken from the July 2014 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by <span class="s1">subscribing online.

The web is a contemporary doc-maker's best friend -- offering everything from software tools to funding. Platforms such as Zeega, Mozilla Popcorn and Racontr serve to make it easier for documentary-makers to add interactive elements to their story.

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Meanwhile, Living Stories and StoryCode both offer online resources and offline events, sharing code and best practices.

In terms of funding, Kickstarter is the most important platform.

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According to Elisabeth Holm, the director of Kickstarter's film programme, $70 million (£42m) has been pledged to more than 9,000 documentaries to date. French crowdfunding platform KissKissBankBank is also influential, in part thanks to France's strong independent documentary scene. Slated is an online marketplace for financing films; while offline, organisations such as BRITDOC and Power to the Pixel help connect film-makers with financiers.

Nonetheless, no one has quite come up with the comprehensive distribution platform for docs just yet.

Securing funding

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Many indie docs pull together funding piece-by-piece from a long list of backers. BRITDOC, the BBC, regional film agencies such as Film London and the Arts Council all back young film-makers.

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Searching for Sugar Man was pitched here early on. IDFA in Amsterdam is a good place to connect with overseas funders, and the BFI funds documentaries through pitching sessions at Sheffield Doc/Fest in June.

Talk to the new players: Netflix, Time magazine, CNN and Al Jazeera America all have doc-funding departments.

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Try crowdfunding: Kickstarter and Indiegogo are well-known options, and new UK site Buzzbnk focuses on artistic projects that aim to make a social impact.

Shoot on a smartphone

As the late Malik Bendjelloul finished work on his Oscar-winning documentary Searching for Sugar Man he realised he had run out of money for Super 8 film. A £2 app - 8mm Vintage Camera - filled the gaps. Since then, the dream of a hit movie filmed entirely on a smartphone has gripped indie documentary-makers.

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Limited lens choice can be a problem, but apps such as FiLMiV Pro and SloPro can slow down or speed up shooting. Amazon offers a range of lens kits for the iPhone 5 for as little as £5. Editing apps are also widely available, and for sound recording, professional mics can slot into the phone.

Marc Settle, who teaches smartphone journalism at the BBC's College of Journalism, advises filming in landscape, switching on airplane mode to avoid calls, and holding shots for at least ten seconds. "It's just a matter of time before we get the first proper film shot on iPhone," says documentary-maker Albert Maysles. "It's a new voice waiting to be heard."

The first 4K digital camera, the adaptable RED ONE is a film-maker's favourite

Get your film seen

To self-distribute or not to self-distribute, that is the question. UK indie distributors such as Metrodome, StudioCanal UK and Momentum tend to buy fiction movies, but do back documentaries.

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Smaller distributors such as Dogwoof, which specialises in political and social documentaries, including The Age of Stupid, may be a better bet for first-timers seeking a deal.

For self-distribution, City Screen or the Independent Cinema Office book films into indie cinema chains. The financial picture is complex (see boxout, below), however, and market research is also problematic. "The data around who watches and buys films is locked away with exhibitors and platforms like iTunes," explains James Franklin, creative director at BRITDOC. "Most distributors don't get this data, let alone the film-makers. Let's figure out how to get films that matter to the people who want intelligent, original and authentic views of the world."

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